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Signe Vikkelsø

Professor

Emner
Centralisering Decentralisering Forandringsledelse Ledelse Organisation Teknologi

Primary research areas

Form­al or­gan­iz­a­tion
Form­al or­gan­iz­a­tion as ex­pli­cit and agreed prin­ciples. The role of form­al or­gan­isa­tion in so­ci­ety and the con­sequences of in­ad­equate form­al­iz­a­tion
His­tory of or­gan­iz­a­tion the­ory
How or­gan­iz­a­tion the­ory has evolved over time as a body of know­ledge and prac­tice, and what the im­plic­a­tions are.
Sci­ence, tech­no­logy and or­gan­iz­a­tion
Or­gan­isa­tion­al ten­sions arising from the in­tro­duc­tion of new tech­no­lo­gies and in­nov­a­tion am­bi­tions.
Or­gan­iz­a­tion­al change
The con­sequences of struc­tur­al re­forms and new tech­no­lo­gies, and how change am­bi­tions are for­mu­lated and driv­en.

I help sort­ing out good or­gan­iz­a­tion

I am a Professor of Science, Technology, and Organization with a background in social psychology, science and technology studies, and organizational sociology.  

My research focus on organizing principles and their challenges, such as: 

- Organizational restructuring 

- New technology in organizations 

- Fads and fashions in organization and management theory 

- Lost sense of task 

- Poor formalization 

Publications

See all publications

2025

From Practical Wholes to Parts and Processes in Organizational Design

Three Roads Away from Practical Formal Organization

Tri­ne Pal­le­sen, Associate Professor

Kirsti­ne Zin­ck Pe­der­sen, Associate Professor

Sig­ne Vik­kel­sø, Professor

Go to publication

2025

The Contested Display of Formal Organization

Exploring the Multiple Roles of Corporate Charts in Organizational and Regulatory Action

Sig­ne Vik­kel­sø, Professor

Go to publication

Recent research projects

“See­ing Or­gan­iz­a­tion: The So­cio-Ma­ter­i­al His­tory of the Or­gan­iz­a­tion­al Chart”

The pro­ject ad­dresses the role of the or­gan­iz­a­tion­al chart in so­ci­ety and ex­plores the chart’s en­tan­gle­ment with chan­ging modes of rep­res­ent­a­tion­al prac­tices, shifts in or­gan­iz­a­tion and man­age­ment the­ory, and trans­form­a­tions in work, pro­duc­tion, cap­it­al, and reg­u­la­tion.

“Form­al Or­gan­iz­a­tion – Past, Present, and Fu­ture”

The pro­ject ad­dresses form­al or­gan­iz­a­tion as a con­tested top­ic in or­gan­iz­a­tion and man­age­ment the­ory, or­gan­iz­a­tion­al so­ci­ology, and psy­cho­logy and dis­cusses the im­plic­a­tions of this dis­agree­ment.

Outside activities

CBS Ex­ec­ut­ive – Teach­ing the “Re­search Man­age­ment Course” (7 full days) , 2025 -